Critically endangered gorillas and orangutans were highlighted as great ape conservationists from Africa and Asia took honors at the 2015 Whitley Awards, which took place on 29 April 2015 at the Royal Geographical Society in London.

Panut Hadisiswoyo of Indonesia received the Whitley Award for Conservation in Ape Habitats in honor of his work to establish a network of ‘conservation villages’ in the tropical rainforests of the Leuser Ecosystem in Sumatra. Inaoyom Imong received the Whitley Award in honor of his work to protect the Cross River gorilla in Nigeria. Both conservationists received a trophy and a conservation prize worth £35,000 in project funding from HRH Princess Anne, The Princess Royal.